The Stats of the Nation: Health

What kind of state does the UK find itself in as we start 2026? That’s the question Tim Harford and the More or Less team is trying to answer in a series of five special programmes.

In the second episode, we’re asking some interesting questions about health and the NHS:

Has life expectancy in the UK starting to go up again at last?

What statistics tell you about the health of the NHS?

After years of promises, are there actually any more GPs?

What’s happening to cancer rates in the UK?

What’s gone wrong with productivity in the health service?

Get in touch if you’ve seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at: [email protected]

Contributors:

Stuart McDonald, Head of Longevity and Demographic Insights at the consultancy Lane Clark & Peacock (LCP)

Jon Shelton, Head of Cancer Intelligence at Cancer Research UK

Ben Zaranko, Associate Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies

Credits:

Presenter: Tim Harford

Reporter: Nathan Gower

Producers: Lizzy McNeill, Katie Solleveld and Charlotte McDonald

Series producer: Tom Colls

Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

Sound mix: Sarah Hockley and Neil Churchill

Editor: Richard Vadon